Ordering/Board Selection

Ordering a custom surfboard is an exciting moment. It is (or should be) an opportunity for you to get to know and connect with a shaper to create something especially tailored to you. Today, “custom” surfboard ordering from the big brands is mostly done by button click with little or no communication with a shaper. These brands are either too busy or the actual work is being completed too…”remotely”…for you to really be able to participate in the process…or to support something local.

Ordering from a shaper for the first time also means the beginning of a new relationship. Getting your order right requires solid communication from both parties. For that reason, I’ve put together a list of topics you might want to cover or be aware of when ordering or selecting a board (from any shaper).

Firstly, there needs to be a conversation about your goals: where are you surfing, what is your experience level, what were your experiences with other boards and how would you like the new board to perform? Knowing the model or type of board you’re interested in as well as its dimensions is a start but let’s dive into a couple other design themes that might help the result.

Rocker

Having a conversation about rocker is very important. It’s much more than simply chatting about which blank to use or the rocker options on file. Rockers (if ordering with the right blank supplier) can be altered quite a bit (within reason). Slight adjustments can greatly affect your experience and can be implemented with specific goals or with certain waves in mind to enhance certain sensations. For example, an increase in tail rocker can be placed at various points throughout the tail and can greatly increase a board’s maneuverability.

Stringer

The stringer is a piece of wood that runs throughout the entire length and thickness of a surfboard. Stringers are available in a variety of wood species and thicknesses. The strongest and most flexible of the species typically on offer in California is basswood (Linden). It is a lightweight, blondish hardwood with a grain uniformity that makes it favorable for shaping and gives it a silky, beautiful appearance. Stringers can also be arranged within a blank in various configurations. For example, your foam can be “glued up” with three stringers set apart from one another. This is called a triple stringer. The types of stringer arrangements on offer are diverse and should be part of a chat with your shaper.

Foam Density

Surfboard blanks are not only available in a variety of sizes but can also be ordered in different densities categorized by color. A catalog of different densities offers blanks in various weights and strengths. At US Blanks, for example, “blue” and “green” densities are common in most longboards whereas “red” might be used more often in shortboard blanks.

Deck Contours

Jones Shapes longboards all receive a gentle sloping standard dome. It’s the simplest, most effective deck contour. This curve will vary in shape depending on the orientation of the rail apex. A rail apexed closer to the deck, for example, will flatten the deck slightly giving the bottom half of the rail more space for curve.

Fish and shortboard deck contours can be approached in a variety of ways. My favorite for a standard shortboard is a standard, gently curving dome. Flatter decks with a clearly defined contour between rail and deck are another possibility common in many fish inspired boards. I apply this contour to shorter boards designed for smaller waves as the flatter deck holds more volume. One of my favorite fish inspired design is a Pavel Speed Dialer. Its deck in mildly concaved…a great way to shave off some of the extra volume in an otherwise higher volume design.

Rails & Bottom Contours

I pair these two terms together because bottom contour and rail design are closely integrated with one another. I’ve written a separate article on the topic of longboard rails and bottom contours here in case you’d like to read more in depth. Generally, it is good to have some of the terminology in mind when chatting about this topic. Talking about features like hard rails, soft rails, flat bottoms, concaves, rolled bottoms, rail tuck, tri-planes etc etc is important and will have a significant impact on the performance of your board.

On longboards my stock rail/bottom contour combinations are 1) a flat bottom with a soft rail tucked at 3.5” or a flat to vee bottom contour with a hard rail tucked at around 7/8”. Click here to view some illustrations and read more about these contour combinations. Nose concaves can also be added to your longboard order, which you can also read more about by following the previously mentioned link.

My shortboards and fish designs are offered with either a spiral vee, double concave or a panel vee. The feel of each will vary depending on the rider. I tend to prefer panel vee on my fishes, which tend to have more width and volume (enough lift already). Again, this is just a personal preference and can vary from rider to rider. My personal shortboards feature double concave through the tail to help with lift on what are typically narrower boards…the idea being that the concave’s curve has more surface area and, therefore, more contact with the water = extra lift.

Glassing Schedule

The standard stock glass job on a Bruce Jones Modern Longboard glassed at our Costa Mesa factory was a double 6oz deck plus a layer of 4oz and a single 6oz bottom. This offered our customers a high level of durability (also a little extra weight) that wasn’t being sold in other shops. Another common glassing schedule includes a deck glassed with a layer of 7.5oz volan and a full layer of 6oz as well as a bottom with a single layer of 7.5oz volan. The volan will give the board a slight, light green tinge. I’ve commonly done my lighter weight shortboards with a double 4oz deck and a single 4 oz bottom. However, a deck with 6oz and 4oz would be a little stronger.

You might also want to have a conversation about different types of glass. E-Glass (or Electrical Grade Fiberglass) is the most common type of glass. It is easy to wet out and wrap around rails and curves. S-Glass is 10-12% stiffer and 30% stronger. It was designed for military applications. Its production requires higher temperatures and additional machinery making it more expensive. Warp E-Glass contains a higher number of lengthwise strands and is commonly used in color laminations.

Color

I have written an additional page on color. Click here for more details. Essentially, Jones Shapes only does color lamination, which you can read more about at the aforementioned link.

A conversation about the realities of color is very important in a custom order whether the color is being applied via airbrush to the foam or in a tinted resin during lamination. The bottom line is that color, in either case, will typically have to be mixed on the spot by the person applying it. It is integral for the customer to understand that exact color matches will be impossible. Color is relative not only to the individual but may also appear different when positioned under various lighting conditions or even when placed next to other colors. Color, in the example of tinted resin, also varies depending on how many layers of fiberglass are being applied (the more glass, the darker the color). That said, our laminators will be able to get close to a requested color, but a 100% match is never guaranteed. This is a point I make in an order contract and is an important part of an honest sale.

Finish

There are three types of finishes that you’ll want to talk about with your shaper. Each will typically come with its own variation in price. Firstly, there is the sand only, which is often included in the base price of any glass job. A sand only is a sanded hot coat. The quality can vary between sanders and glass shops. In my opinion, Waterman’s Guild provides once of the best sand only finishes in the industry. and only finishes are most common in high-volume-production shortboards.

There are two types of finishes that can be given to a gloss-coat (a final coat of resin after the hot coat). The first, and most common, is the “gloss and polish” in which a high gloss sheen is applied to the gloss coat. The second is called a sanded gloss, which is a matte, sanded finished added to the final gloss coat as opposed to the hot coat. A sanded gloss will typically have a higher grade of finish and quality than a sand only. For longevity, I tend to prefer a gloss & polish. It is easier to clean and prevents grime from getting embedded in the fin scratches of a sanded finish.

Fins and Fin Placement

Fin type and placement will vary depending on the style of board being ridden. However, if you require specific setups and measurements, you should discuss this with your shaper. I’ve written a blog post here on longboard fin setups, in case you’d like to read further on that topic. Basically, longboards will typically be setup as either a “two plus one” or a single fin. This depends greatly on the design and intent of the longboard. Some Jones Shapes designs can be setup with either, but most have specific fin combinations, which I stick to. For example, my Diamond-T model can be arranged as either a single fin or a “two plus one”.

There are various approaches to setting up fin arrangements on shortboards and fish: single fin, twin, quad, and thruster are some of the most common approaches. The benefits of each will depend on a combination of the style of board being ordered, personal preference, where you’ll be riding the board and in what wave height/type. You may also want to have a conversation about fin “toe”, the inward angle of the front edge of the fin. For example, too much front fin toe in smaller, slower surf will create drag and stall your board. Too little and you will sacrifice maneuverability. I find that a front fin toe of 1/8” works best for most California conditions.

Leadtimes

I was born into this industry and can clearly remember the days when my dad ran his own glassing operation. Turnaround for custom orders was 3-4 weeks. Those days are mostly gone now as most shapers have given up glassing on their own and have consolidated their glass work into batches sent to what is now (at least in California) a small number of specialized workshops providing services to the broader industry. As a result, glassing leadtimes have shot up. Since the pandemic, turnaround times of 3-4 months (sometimes longer) have been common. As a shaper (and a salesman) I am fully aware that such wait times can lead to frustration. I will do my absolute best to communicate your board’s progress to you and maintain constant communication with the glasser.

Board Selection

The classic Bruce Jones Surfboards disclaimer (it was even printed out and posted on the door of our old shop) read “The final decision of which board to buy is up to the customer. All we can do is try and point you in the right direction.” I still maintain that this is the best approach to a sale as I find that each of us has some level of personal affinity towards certain visually appealing aspects of boards, often, perhaps, without fully considering the truly functional ramifications. This has become even more confounded with imagery and image posturing in social media, where often the truly functional characteristics of products are unfortunately rarely discussed.

In saying that I want to outline the importance of really considering what you’re ordering, for which conditions and if the experience level really fits the design. If you’re considering a shortboard or a fish for smaller surf, for example, then some compromises will almost certainly have to be made in terms of volume, rocker and some of the other points discussed above. The same can be said for longboards where a clear vision and communication can greatly impact how various combinations of design features come together, the result of your custom surfboard and how it functions.

Feel free to get in touch with any question you have regarding the order process and board selection.